The present invention relates, in general, to vehicle exterior surface wash systems for washing multiple vehicle surfaces, including windshields, backlights, exterior mirrors, headlights, rain and proximity sensors, etc.
Vehicle wash systems typically include a wash fluid reservoir, a pump, distribution conduits, and one or more nozzles or jets which disperse water under pressure onto a vehicle surface to be cleaned. The nozzles or jets may be mounted on or disposed in close proximity to wiping devices, such as wiper blades, or may constitute a high pressure jet stream for removing debris and films from the surfaces to be cleaned to insure adequate visibility through the surfaces, such as windshields, backbites and mirrors or the proper operation of the device on which the surface is mounted, such as headlights, rain and proximity sensors, etc.
Although a separate pump, distribution conduit(s), and one or more nozzles or jets can be employed with each cleanable surface, in the interest of efficiency and cost effectiveness, a singe pump is typically employed with multiple surfaces. Either controls are provided for reversing the direction of the pump to direct fluid through one of two distinct distribution conduits for selectively spraying fluid onto different surfaces, such as the front windshield or the rear backlight window of a vehicle. Alternately, a switch device, such as a manual, pneumatically or electrically controlled valve, is provided with a single pump and switchable between two positions, each of which is connected to a separate, distinct wash fluid distribution path.
It is also possible to connect a single distribution pathway to nozzles associated with two distinct cleanable surfaces, such as the headlights and the front windshield so as to enable the pump to dispense cleaning fluid from the reservoir to each of the surfaces at the same time.
In cleaning applications, it is known that hot fluid removes dirt and other debris from a surface much better and much faster than colder fluids. Vehicle windshield wash systems have employed heated fluids. Typically, a fluid heater device is mounted in the wash fluid distribution path, typically between the pump and the spray nozzles to heat the fluid to a high temperature prior to immediate dispensing through the nozzle(s).
Thus, it would be desirable to provide a vehicle surface wash apparatus which can be efficiently designed with a minimum number of components to effect selective, independent wash fluid distribution onto multiple vehicle surfaces under selective operator control. It would also be desirable to provide a vehicle surface wash apparatus which can be combined with a wash fluid heater to dispense heated wash fluid onto one or more vehicle surfaces.